Could This Be Love?
by Cherry-Chann
Summary: Ryoga is abused by both his father and the bullies at his school. His father, because he gets grades lower than his sister's. The bullies? Who knows. But when one of Rio's friends introduces her cousin, Yuma, to Ryoga, both are immediately drawn to each other. But with a vengeful past lover and a homophobic father, can Ryoga find love? AU, Sharkbaitshipping. YAOI/Boy x Boy!
1. Chapter 1

**_I own nothing but my OC, Haku. _**

**Hey people! I posted this on my lovely Wattpad account known as CottonCandySoda but I knew more people would view it and be able to hopefully enjoy it if I posted it here.  
**

**Warning! This will contain abuse (I don't know if it will be graphic or not), language, and boy on boy love/yaoi. Don't like any of these things? Get the hell out.**

**This is classified as angst but it will have fluffy moments.**

**Also, if the readers would like it, I might add a lemon (smut) in here in the future. **

**Enjoy, and I will warn you! The characters will be OOC so they fit the storyline and plot better. All but Yuma, really.**

* * *

"Hey, Ryoga!" A voice from behind the purple haired boy said teasingly.

Ryoga took a deep breath and turned around, glaring at the sight of the usual group of 'tough guys'. AKA, the bullies.

"What do you all want?" Ryoga asked tonelessly, trying to seem bored and unimpressed.

The leader smirked, "Well, for one, we were going to ask you..." The older boy reached out and grabbed Ryoga's arm, earning a surprised and pained yelp from the latter.

"How's your dad?" All three boys laughed at their leader's odd question.

Holding his arm carefully, Ryoga growled, "None of your business."

"You got that right."

Two female's voices spoke at once, and Ryoga immediately recognized both of them. It was Rio, his sister, and Haku, her blue haired best friend.

"Looks like Ryoga needed to be saved by two pussies!" One of the bullies jeered, laughing at Ryoga's slightly embarrassed face.

Rio laughed, surprising everyone but Haku, who was laughing with her.

"Pussies? Oh boys," The two tone haired girl laughed even harder, "no need to tell me your names! I already know!"

Haku laughed as well, "Pussy 1, and Pussy 2!"

Rio panted, trying to calm herself down after her fits of laughter. "And don't forget..." She snickered, "Pussy 3!"

Ryoga smiled at their antics, but the bullies had the opposite reaction. They seemed to be quite offended by the 'insults'.

"Wanna knuckle sandwich girly?" One of the boys threatened, taking a few steps forward.

Rio cracked her knuckles. "I'll serve you one extra hot..."

Haku stepped forward as well, relaxing into a fighting stance. "With an extra 'kick' to it!"

Both burst out laughing again, annoying the bullies but entertaining Ryoga. These two certainly knew how to piss people off, and boy, was he thankful for it.

"We'll getcha later!" The bullies announced, giving all three younger youths threatening glares before running away.

"Yeah!" Haku yelled, "Run to your momma!"

Rio and Haku quickly gave each other a fist bump before making their way over to Ryoga, who was still snickering at Haku's previous sentence.

"Pretty spectacular, huh?" Rio praised herself, high fiving Haku.

The blue haired girl nodded her head rapidly and grinned. "Pussies! They always run away!"

Ryoga smiled slightly. "Thanks you two; I wasn't in the mood for those guys."

Rio nodded sympathetically, "I know. Dad always does a number on you."

"That reminds me," Haku bent down to examine Ryoga's arm. "are you alright?"

She glanced worriedly at the red and swelling arm, but the purple haired teen quickly pulled his sleeve back down and shook his head.

"I'm alright, Haku." Ryoga assured her, backing away slightly.

The blue haired girl looked at him skeptically and took a glance at Rio. "What do you think?"

Rio shook her head, "Shark, you need medical attention." Rio frowned. "And mental too-dad's always insulting you."

The purple haired teen sighed, "Rio. It's fine." He smiled slightly at the use of his nickname: Shark, which had been given to him by their mother.

She'd always said Ryoga was tough, even as a baby. But the real reason she'd named him that is due to the fact that he had pointed teeth when he was little, which led to the name 'Shark'.

The girl shook her head, refusing to back down. "You need friends, Shark. I'm just your sister. You need someone you can trust besides me."

Ryoga didn't respond; he knew she was right. He was lonely, and his sister wouldn't always be there for him.

But he couldn't make friends with someone, because of his father. Not only would the man beat him, but Ryoga's so called 'friends' would think he was some freak for being abused.

They'd jeer and say, "Oh, you're just like your father. Why should we associate with you?"

Haku noticed Ryoga's pained look and smiled slightly. "My cousin, Yuma, is a great guy! He'd love you!"

Rio winked, "In more ways than one, am I right?"

Both girls giggled and pretended to be gossipers.

"Oh Rio, did you hear? Yuma is in love with your brother!" said Haku, pretending to sound surprised.

"Wow, I can't believe it! If Ryoga loves him back, he's the luckiest man on earth!" Rio replied, bursting out laughing after her sentence.

Haku laughed along with her, though Ryoga stayed silent.

"Fine. Where is he?" The indigo haired youth asked with a sigh, scanning a crowd of students not far away.

It was the end of the school day, but most students stayed a little afterwards to gossip, play sports, or anything else they thought of.

"Yuma!" Haku shouted, "Can you come here?"

A boy with odd hair (though Ryoga couldn't really talk) ran over the group, a large smile on his face. He had pink and dark blue colored hair.

"This is Ryoga!" Haku moved aside so Yuma could see Ryoga's full body.

"Hi!" Yuma said quickly, offering Ryoga a friendly wave.

Ryoga didn't respond until he felt Rio elbow him. "Hi."

"Would you like to get some ice cream together?" Yuma asked nervously, smiling sheepishly.

"He's asking you out, idiot!" Rio whispered in her brother's ear, smirking when Haku grinned triumphantly.

"I guess so." Ryoga answered finally, smiling just a little.

"Great!" Yuma looked at the two girls. "You two want to go?"

Haku and Rio looked at each other before nodding. "Sure!" They said in unison.

* * *

"It sure is hot today, considering it's just the beginning of Spring." Yuma remarked, licking his ice cream slowly.

Ryoga nodded. "It is weird."

As the indigo haired youth licked his ice cream, he didn't catch Yuma blushing wildly. The other boy was starring right at Ryoga's soft pink lips.

The girls however, noticed.

"Look!" Haku whispered elatedly, "He's blushing!"

"Loveeeeee!" sang Rio quietly, earning a quiet laugh from both girls.

Ryoga paused in licking his ice cream to give the girls a questioning glance. When he looked at Yuma, he saw the boy was blushing and looking away.

But his eyes occasionally darted back to Ryoga, who caught the act and smiled slightly. Yuma noticed this and blushed even redder.

"Hey, do you guys wanna go to the arcade?" Haku asked excitedly.

"Yeah!" Rio and Yuma answered together.

Ryoga shrugged, not really caring. But, despite Yuma's odd personality, the boy was likeable and would be a good friend.

_**At the arcade...**_

"Like a boss!" Rio exclaimed as she defeated yet another opponet.

Haku nodded her head in agreement and cheered her best friend on.

Ryoga rolled his eyes. The girls had discovered Street Fighter and had become hooked onto it in a matter of seconds.

Meanwhile, Yuma was playing some sort of racing game.

Ryoga found both games interesting, but excused himself in order to go to the bathroom.

When he got there, he sighed and gingerly pulled his sleeve downwards, wincing when the cloth touched his skin.

"It hurts..." He whispered softly, running cold water to soothe his arm's pain.

Little did he know Yuma had both seen and heard his words. The boy looked at his new found friend, wide eyed.

What had happened to Ryoga's arm?

He exited the bathroom, not wanting to disturb Ryoga's privacy. He'd ask Rio or Haku later.

"What hurts, freak?"

Ryoga's eyes widened. No! Not now! Why were they here?!

Taking a deep breath in order to calm his nerves, Ryoga turned around and narrowed his eyes at the sight of the bullies from earlier.

"You know very well what hurts, you idiots." The teen replied coldly.

The other bullies visibly bristled, but the leader only laughed. "Trying to scare us, are you?"

Ryoga smirked, "I don't need to. This is a public restroom, is it not?"

The bullies nodded at each other, briefly confusing Ryoga. What were they doing?

All of a sudden, the leader shoved the younger boy into a stall and covered his mouth, both surprising and angering Ryoga.

"You little bitch..." The brown haired bully smirked. "You remember my name, don't you?"

He didn't remove his hand from Ryoga's mouth, but replied for him instead. "Hiyoto, my one and only lover. Right?"

Ryoga glared menacingly, sending a silent death threat in Hiyoto's direction.

All of a sudden, he heard Yuma's voice.

"Ryoga?" The boy was calling his name, looking around for him.

Hiyoto's eyes widened and he silently cursed before looking back at the other teen. "You're off the hook this time, but tomorrow, you won't be so lucky."

And with that, he exited the stall quickly so Yuma wouldn't see him (the boy was currently turned around).

"Oh, there you are!" Yuma exclaimed, smiling when he saw Ryoga's still-startled expression.

"It's time to go, come on!" The teen beckoned with his hand and ran out of the restroom, a reluctant Ryoga following him.

"Ryoga."

The indigo haired teen looked at his sister, knowing that when she used his real name instead of 'Shark', she was going to say something serious.

"Yuma told me about what happened in the bathroom." Rio whispered softly, though she sounded angry and upset.

Ryoga's eyes widened. He hadn't heard Hiyoto, had he?!

"What do you mean?" He responded, trying to sound as if the answer didn't really matter.

The girl scowled. "He said you looked like you were in pain and that you were saying 'it hurts'."

"Also, Haku told me she saw Hiyoto entering the bathroom after you." Rio explained, "so I sent Yuma to bring you back out in order to scare the douche bag away."

Ryoga smiled. "Thanks, sis."

"You're welcome..." She trailed off and gave her brother a solemn look. "but Shark. We don't want the bullies and dad hurting you."

"Who's we?" The teen responed bitterly.

Rio smiled gently. "Yuma, Haku, and myself."

The latter two didn't surprise Ryoga at all, but the former...Yuma?

"Yuma?" Ryoga raised an eyebrow. "Why him?"

The two tone haired girl giggled, "You seriously didn't see how he looked at you when we were eating ice cream?"

"He's obviously in love with you!" Rio finished with a dramatic flair of her hands.

"Yaoi fan girl..." Ryoga muttered fondly.

"Hey, what can I say?" Rio laughed. "Why wouldn't I like one of the greatest things on earth?"

Her brother scowled spitefully. "Because dad doesn't."

Rio sighed sadly, "I know, Shark. I know. That's one of the reasons why he beats you."

She looked apologetic again. "I wish I could protect you more."

Ryoga shook his head, "It's fine. You'd only get hurt yourself."

The two continue walking home in silence, unaware of the figure that was watching them from the shadowed edges of the street.

* * *

**I read a sharkbaitshipping story known as 'Drunken Confession' today and it inspired me to write this. Did you guys like Haku? I hope so as she has my personality.**

**R&amp;R! No flames/hate. If you don't like the story, don't read it. I'm young and my grammar might be incorrect occasionally, so please don't nitpick. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I got my first flames/hate reviews! Woop de doo! Here's my reply.**

**Guest: I made you loose brain cells? Honey, I don't think you had many to begin with. For one, please get some grammar. For two, if you didn't like it, keep your negative thoughts to yourself. You in no way discouraged me, and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm continuing this story. Have a nice day.**

**Guest: I respect both, I will have you know. I love my readers. I do not, however, love insolent people who do nothing but flame and bring others down. If you don't like my story, don't read it, sugar! I write what I write, sweetie, and if you don't agree with that, you can go ahead and find another story that you do like. Have a nice day.**

**Hah! People these days. Think they're so cool just because they say something other than, 'this sucks'. People might say I'm too harsh, but if you fuck with me, I fuck with you. Don't like what I write? Don't read it! It's that simple!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one other than my OC, Haku.**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

"So, Yuma," Haku spoke cheerfully, "what do you think about Ryoga?"

Yuma blushed slightly. "W-What do you mean?!"

His cousin laughed, "You know what I mean."

The boy looked away in order to conceal his blush, though Haku knew he was blushing anyway. He really, really, liked Ryoga, didn't he?

"He's cool." Yuma answered after he'd calmed his racing heart back down.

Haku raised an eyebrow. "That's all?"

She giggled when Yuma gave her a look as his cheeks tinged red. They kept walking, and for a moment, Haku thought she'd done something to upset Yuma. After all, the boy was a huge chatter box and rarely stopped speaking.

"Hey, you two."

The cousins turned around, smiling when they saw one of their best friends: Kite Tenjo, who also had his little brother -known as Hart- with him as well.

"Hey Kaito, Hart." Yuma and Haku said in unison, approaching the two. The other pair did the same till they were close enough to talk to each other.

"Where's Mizael?" Yuma asked with mock curiousness. He grinned when Kaito glared slightly and blushed every so lightly.

"You know we're not dating." The orange haired boy replied, though there was a hint of sadness in his voice, as if he didn't want to say the words.

Haku snickered evilly. "Not yet."

Kaito rolled his eyes and grinned slyly. "Haku tells me you have a crush yourself, Yuma."

The two tone haired boy blushed and glared his cousin, who was laughing her ass off. "Traitor!"

Haku wiped a tear from her eye, "You should've seen his face, Kaito! He was blushing his ass off!"

At this point, everyone but Yuma laughed. The boy himself was still sulking over his 'invasion of privacy'. But if Haku knew something, unless it was important to her, she'd expose it to the whole planet.

Now, it would be a lie to say Haku couldn't be trusted. If it was something that would hurt someone if the truth got out, Haku would keep it a secret until she was allowed to tell.

But when it came to Yuma, the girl exposed anything and everything.

"What were you up to, Kaito?" asked Haku after she'd recovered from her previous bursts of laughter.

Kaito smiled. "Me and Hart watched a movie, that's all."

"It was really good, too." Hart piped up, earning a smile from everyone around him. The boy truly was precious and sweet.

"Well, we've gotta get home." Haku said, checking her wrist watch reluctantly.

Kaito nodded and said goodbye to the two cousins, as did Hart, before the pair turned around and left, walking towards their own home. Yuma and Haku did the same, though they didn't have to walk as far as they were almost there in the first place.

"I'll warm up dinner." Haku offered as they stepped inside of the warm living room.

Yuma nodded his head and ran to go play video games while his cousin heated up their dinner. They didn't live alone; they couldn't. Yuma was only 14, as was Haku.

They lived with their Grandmother, whom they called Mimi-san.

She wasn't home as she was visiting a few of her friends, though earlier she'd called Haku and informed her that she'd made dinner. The woman then instructed the girl to warm it up the moment they got home, which Haku was currently doing.

"Sure is a pretty sunset." Haku commented to herself quietly, awe inspired by the wonderful shades of orange, yellow, purple and blue.

Little did the cousins know, Ryoga was having anything but a relaxing night.

* * *

"Father, stop it!" Rio cried as she watched her older brother ruthlessly hit with the blunt edge of a knife.

"He needs to learn his place, Rio!" Mr Kamishiro said angrily, ignoring the horrified expressions of the servants and his own wife.

The girl shook her head rapidly, tears forming in her eyes as she watched a thin trickle of red travel down the side of Ryoga's pale face. It should be her, the one getting hurt like this.

He'd done nothing wrong.

It was her who'd cost the family countless thousands of money due to her sickness. Her hospital bills had been overwhelming, yet her father still beat her brother, who was the perfect child in Rio's eye.

"That's enough." Mrs Kamishiro said suddenly, her face now lit up with anger.

The man faced his wife angrily before it melted away, replaced by a devilish grin. "You can't stop me, darling." He glanced at Rio. "Neither of you can."

"Wanna bet?!" Rio challenged, rising from her seat, only to be pushed back down hurriedly by her brother, who was shaking his head rapidly.

"Rio, you'll only get hurt!" The boy whispered softly, smiling sadly when his sister gave him a reluctant, but compliant look of defeat.

"Go to your room, Rio." Their mother said with a sigh, her tone hinting she'd outwardly calmed down. Though you could tell her anger wasn't completely quelled.

The girl nodded and gave Ryoga a look before looking back at her mother. The woman pondered silently for a moment before nodding her head, giving Rio permission.

Before their father had any objections, the girl clutched her brother's uninjured arm and pulled him up the steps and into her room. Ryoga winced at the girly smell but was grateful none the less.

"Sorry about my outburst back there." Rio said apologetically, sitting down on her soft floor across from her brother. "I just couldn't help getting mad when I saw that blood -!"

The girl shot up quickly, remembering the injury Ryoga had sustained after being abused once again. She leaned in and parted his indigo hair in order to see where the blood was coming from.

After discovering a gash on his head (which sickened her to no end), Rio sat up and quickly ran over to her bathroom, where she fetched her first aid kit and some wet towels.

"Ngh...!" Ryoga gritted his teeth as his sister dabbed his injury gently.

The girl mumbled an apology and dabbed again, jerking when her brother gave another cry of pain. Worriedly, she tore a bandage off from the long roll of cloth and wrapped it around Ryoga's head clumsily.

"I'm not a nurse, but it should feel better soon." Rio said sympathetically, offering her brother an encouraging smile. "You can sleep in my bed, if you want too."

Ryoga shook his head and returned his sister's smile weakly. "No, the floor is fine. Thanks, Rio."

The girl nodded and stood up, running to find her phone.

She had to tell Haku and Yuma!

* * *

**Well, that's chapter 2. I hope some of you enjoyed this, and if you didn't? Well, you didn't, and I'm OK with that. After all, everyone has different opinions. Don't worry; negative reviews don't bother me. I'll continue this story for as long as I can.  
**

**R&amp;R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, guys. Alright; so if you look at the reviews for this story you probably understand why I'm writing this. And the answer is (for those who don't know)?  
**

**I'm apologizing.**

***sighs* Look, I'm sorry if I offended any of my readers. I have to admit; I've got a rather large mouth and sometimes I just can't shut up. But I have a rather hard life and it's one of the reasons why I get so pissy.**

**One of best friends got raped and killed herself, and then I lost 2 more of my friends along with my Grandpa, and all 4 of them really meant a lot to me.**

**I don't wanna list EVERYTHING that's wrong with my life because that's just plain pointless. But I do, however, want to deeply apologize if I hurt anyone's feelings. **

**Believe me; I know how it feels to be hurt. I used to cut, and attempted to kill myself when I was only 8 years old. My parents are on the brink of divorce and my dad recently did something very...bad.  
**

**So if I've taken out all of my stress out on you guys, I am SO sorry. I love my readers; you all are pretty much my only friends, aside from the few I have in real life.**

**I should've been more careful and watched what came out of my mouth, er, keyboard.  
**

**So if anyone has been hurt, offended, or upset by what I said in previous chapters; I apologize. I sincerely apologize. I never meant to hurt anyone, I promise.**

**If you all could forgive me, that would be wonderful.**

**I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this story or delete it, but it might go on a hiatus. Just let it be known that I'm sorry. I know I've said it millions of times but I'm just afraid that someone might've taken it personally (judging by the reviews, some people have).**

**Well, that's all.**

**Love you all, and I'm sorry, once again.**

**\- Anna**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi people. This chapter is for aorinappollo. But besides that, I just wanted to say something...**

**I apologized, yes, but to the Guest who claimed that they lost brain cells from reading this:**

**That wasn't a very nice thing to say. I accept harsh words if they improve my story, but saying things like 'this made me lose brain cells' is just plain hurtful and mean. So... I'd appreciate it if you'd apologize for that, because to be honest, it wasn't nice or helpful in any way, shape, or form, and it did hurt me a little, to be honest.**

**Anyways, on with the story. This chapter will be short as my life is a whirl wind right now. I just went through a tornado a few days ago, and my cousin passed away just a few days ago as well.**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Yuma groaned as his grandmother pulled back the curtains in his bedroom. The sunlight poured in and the warm golden rays would've no doubt burned his sleep-induced eyes had they been open.

"Yuma!" The woman exclaimed, shaking her grandson's shoulders, "It's time to wake up for school!"

Yuma rolled over and threw the covers over his head, only to have them pulled off 'ruthlessly'.

"But Mimi-san!" Yuma protested, "It's too early!"

"It's never too early for school, dear." The woman stated firmly. "Besides, Haku tells me you've gained a new friend, and you wouldn't want to disappoint him, now would you?"

The boy perked up at this reminder. He'd almost forgotten about Ryoga! Smiling and wiping his eyes, he thanked his grandmother for waking him up and went into his bathroom in order to change.

By the time he got out, Haku and Mimi-san had already eaten their breakfast and Haku was studying attentively, her blue eyes glancing upwards at her cousin for a brief second before glaring at her papers once again.

"Have fun!" His grandmother called after him fondly, her 'don't slam the door' droned out by the actual slamming of the door. The woman shook her head and sat down next to her granddaughter, helping her with a couple tough problems.

The sun was completely by itself in the early morning sky. There wasn't a cloud as far as the eye could see, which was good, considering the past few days had been so rainy and cold.

Yuma's school wasn't that far away from his home. That's probably why Haku, himself, and his grandmother had moved there. School wasn't Yuma's favorite part of his day, considering he didn't have many friends, but it was better now that he had Ryoga.

"I can't wait to see him again..." Yuma said to himself, stopping his footsteps in surprise when he realized what he'd just said. "What did I just say?! There's no way Ryoga would want to be more than friends..."

"Yuma!" Rio's voice called out excitedly. The boy turned around and saw the rich two tone haired girl running towards him, her brother trailing behind her.

Yuma's pink eyes lit up and he ran towards Rio, the two meeting halfway.

"Shark -" Rio coughed, "I mean, Ryoga, is injured, so could you help him with his homework? His head is really killing him, and so's his arm."

Yuma peaked behind the girl and frowned. She was right; Ryoga didn't look so good. His arm was in a crude sling and a messy bandage was wrapped around his head. Ryoga himself had a grim expression and his blue eyes looked dull and emotionless.

"Hey Ryoga." Yuma greeted the other boy quietly, taking a few steps forward. When Ryoga said nothing back, Yuma continued, "I'm sorry about your injuries. I hope you feel better soon, too."

The violet haired boy mumbled something in response, but Yuma couldn't hear it. It didn't matter though; it was probably just a 'thanks' or 'no need to worry' or something like that.

_Nothing special, _Yuma thought sadly.

"Let's get to school." Ryoga said finally, brushing past Yuma coldly.

Yuma looked startled and hurt, while Rio looked sympathetic. Both ran after Ryoga quickly, coming up on other sides of him. The purple haired teen ignored them and walked ahead once more, confusing the other two.

"Ryoga, what's wrong -"

"Fuck off." Ryoga snarled, running away from the other two teenagers.

"What happened...?" Yuma mumbled sadly, looking to Rio for an answer, but the girl shook her head and sighed.

"It's not my place to tell you." She smiled sadly. "Trust me; with all of the gossipers at our school, you'll find out soon enough." And with that, she dashed off after her brother, leaving a confused and upset Yuma behind.

* * *

**I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this as no one seems to really like it. I'll do my best though. Also, when I said the characters were OOC for plot, this is what I meant:  
**

**Shark is was supposed to be OOC in the beginning because he becomes his usual self after too much abuse, as you can see in this chapter. So, that's why they were OOC. Sorry if this bothered anyone.**

**R&amp;R, and be nice, please. I've gotten nothing but negative reviews (aside from my friend Falco XD) on this story.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone. I'm surprised so many people like this! It's rather surprising as I thought most people would prefer a story where Yuma was the one getting abused. I think Shark/Ryoga is more fitting though.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone and anything but Haku and Yuma's grandmother, Mimi.**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

As the school bell rang shrilly, Yuma glanced over at Ryoga. The purple haired teen looked solemn, quiet, and slightly apprehensive. It wasn't the normal Ryoga, Yuma knew this for a fact. He seemed so cold and uninviting, though Yuma still wanted to speak with the boy nonetheless. As far as he knew, Ryoga played no sport, so the injuries couldn't have come from that.

A arm in a sling, and a head injury?

_Something _heavy had hurt him, and Yuma tried to push the thoughts of the 'something' being hands, but he couldn't. What if Ryoga's father was abusing him? He cringed at the thought, remembering the many sad news reports he'd see on television describing children who'd been killed due to heavy domestic abuse. It was so saddening to know the ones who'd created the child wanted it to perish.

Finally, after collecting his things, Yuma stood up from his desk and peaked at Ryoga to see what the indigo haired boy was up to. He was arranging his books mindlessly, as if he was a robot. His cerulean eyes, usually clear and kind looking, looked harsh and cold. Ryoga noticed Yuma staring at him and glared heavily, slamming a book shut and turning away.

This hurt Yuma, but he wasn't angry at Ryoga. He'd done nothing wrong. The boy was obviously in pain, so Yuma couldn't just loathe him just because he was upset for the time being. As his Grandmother would say, 'people who shut themselves out just need someone to show them there's no reason to shut themselves out'.

"Hey, Ryoga!" Yuma said as he ran over to the other youth. Ryoga glared and looked away, but Yuma didn't give up. "I was wanting to know if you wanted to come to my house later today. Haku and Mimi-san, my grandmother, wouldn't mind at all!"

"And why would I want to go to _your _house?" Ryoga replied with a sneer, though his eyes flashed with a look of regret at Yuma's hurt face.

"I-I just thought you might be interested..." The shorter boy replied quietly, pink eyes blinking away tears. "...I'm sorry if I offended you, Ryoga-sama."

Ryoga's eyes widened at the 'sama' suffix, though he said nothing. He quickly pretended as if the apology meant nothing to him and collected his books before exiting the room completely, leaving a sad and hurt Yuma. Just then, Rio ran in, smiling and waving when she saw Yuma. She ran over to the boy and grasped his hands eagerly.

"So, did you speak with Ryoga?" She asked eagerly, nearing bouncing with excitement. Rio was too happy to notice Yuma's downcast face. "I hope so, because he's been so down lately. I really would like for him to be - Yuma, what's wrong?"

Soft pink eyes were clouded over with tears, a few of which managed to escape in order to cascade freely down his cheeks. Rio's violet eyes filled with sympathy as she wiped the tears off of Yuma's cheeks carefully. She felt like a big sister towards this boy and she hated that her brother had been the one to make him upset.

And she knew it was Ryoga, because no one bullied Yuma for the most part. And those who did weren't in his class.

"H-He was s-s-o," Yuma hiccuped violently, now sobbing and quickly wiping the rapidly increasing amount of tears from his face, "cold and cruel when I s-s-poke to him! He d-d-didn't even care!"

Rio's eyes widened. Yuma didn't cry easily; that was a fact. So whatever Ryoga had said or done must've really hurt the boy. Her eyes shut half way as she let out a reluctant sigh. Looking up into Yuma's sad pink orbs, she offered the boy a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I'll explain." Pleased at Yuma's slightly happier face, she continued.

"Last night our father hit Ryoga on the head, violently, and so it caused him to bleed. I quickly rushed him upstairs and bandaged him. Then, when I woke up, he was hurt even more and was withering on the floor in pain. I did my best to help him, and told him to stay home from school. But said 'no' and mumbled something about you, Yuma."

"Me?" Yuma asked in surprise.

Rio nodded. "You. He said it almost endearingly, as if it was someone he really cared about." She smiled when Yuma blushed. "I'm sure you are someone he really cares about. You're the only one he's really opened up to, anyway."

"So, don't pay any attention to what Ryoga says." Rio said playfully, giving Yuma a little pat on the shoulder. Her eyes softened. "He isn't trying to hurt you, that, I promise. He's just going through hard times, that's all."

"Thanks for explaining, Rio," Yuma said gratefully. He looked out the window as he watched Ryoga walk down the sidewalk towards his house before turning back to the boy's sister. "Don't you two take a limo or something?"

"No, silly." Rio giggled, but her happiness seem to fade as she thought about the question more. "Our father would gladly allow me to ride in a limo, but Ryoga? Never. But I think he prefers walking, anyway."

"Maybe we could catch him before he leaves?" The girl added hopefully, looking at Yuma as if asking for consent.

The boy smiled and nodded rapidly. He wanted to try again. Maybe Ryoga would be more open if his sister was around?

Well, there was only one way to find out.

* * *

**Well, here's another chapter. *winces* I'm not very proud of it but it's not the worst. This story as a bunch of views, but no favorites, follows, and not any positive reviews...it's a little discouraging, but I'm continuing this mostly for aorinappollo as she deserves it for being so kind to me.  
**

**I didn't feel like writing about what happened in their school that day as I did that a lot in the first chapter, which a lot of people didn't like, I guess. So I tried a different approach.**

**And I know Shark is being extra mean, but it's for a purpose, I promise you all. And no, I don't think Yuma overreacted. I'd be very upset if someone who I thought was one of my friends spoke to me that way, especially if I had I crush on them.**

**R&amp;R! And be kind and respectful; I'm going through a bunch of anxiety right now.**


	6. Chapter 6

**O****h lord of fluffy bunnies and sugah! People actually like this story! *gasps* I've gotten so many kind reviews, considering my first 6 were...eh, not on the nice side. *chuckles nervously* **

**Thanks to:**

**Empress Margaret**

**Catloverx33**

**for reviewing my story! I love reviews so much! I would cuddle them if I could. I can't, though, so I'll just have to settle for looking at them gratefully. But seriously! Thank you guys so much!**

**Empress Margaret, I agree with your review and decided to grant its wish. I think Shark needs more stories like this about him, and I was so disappointed when I found there were none, so I started one myself. In this chapter it shines more light and Shark and his dad's relationship, so I hope you'll like it!**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Yuma followed Rio excitedly, the two quickly spouting apologies if they bumped into couple people. Ryoga was a little ways away, but both Rio and Yuma were fast runners and quickly caught up with him.

Needless to say, Ryoga wasn't pleased with this turn of events.

"Leave. Me. Alone." The purple haired boy spat angrily, not even waiting for a response as he run away in the direction of his home. Rio looked at Yuma apologetically, but the boy just sent her a sad smile.

"He just needs some space(1), that's all."

Rio smiled and nodded in agreement. "Thank you for understanding, Yuma-kun." She looked in the direction her brother had dashed off in and gave a sad smile of her own. "I'm sure he'll find his way soon."

Yuma nodded, smiling with her, though this time, it wasn't crestfallen.

It was hopeful.

* * *

Ryoga sighed as he slammed the door to his mansion, ignoring the many maids and butlers who surrounded him worriedly. He stomped up the steps, much like a toddler after being instructed to go to his or her room after an argument. His personal maid, Cecilla, tried to ask him what was wrong, but he ignored her and slammed the door to his room shut.

Cecilla placed a hand over her heart in worry, about to open the door herself, but a booming voice interrupted her actions.

"Allow me, Cecilla."

The young woman started and quickly glanced to her left, bowing and curtsying quickly. "Sorry sir, didn't see you there." She apologized in her delicate French accent, bowing once again. "I'll leave right away."

"Oh, and Cecilla?"

The blonde maid swallowed and turned around, forcing a smile to tug at her lips. "Yes, sir?"

"Bring me the box," The man instructed coldly.

Cecilla's eyes widened, but she quickly bowed and nodded her head. "Your wish is my command, sir." She ran off as fast as possible, holding her skirts as she dashed down the steps in a hurry.

Yokiro grasped the door knob to his son's room and turned it, smiling when he saw his son wrapped in his covers on his King Sized bed.

"Get lost, Cecilla." The boy snapped coldly, assuming it was his maid.

"I hope you wouldn't say that to her face, my son."

Blue eyes widened and Ryoga rolled over quickly, blinking in surprise at his father's presence. Before he could speak, Yokiro shut the door behind him, and with the click of the lock came the tension that hung in the air heavily.

Cecilla came into the room quietly and sent Ryoga a sympathetic look before scurrying away, not wanting to face her master's wrath. She did, however, steal one last glance at the purple haired youth, green eyes softening in worry. She knew his father beat him. It was sad, but she couldn't do anything to help.

Just then, the door bell rang.

Cecilla gracefully descended down the elegant stair case and rushed to the door quickly. Wiping sweat off of her tired face, she prepared her usual welcoming smile and opened the door, expecting to see one of Yokiro's many business partners or one of the Kamishiro's relatives coming for a visit.

To her surprise, it was a young boy who looked to be about Ryoga's age, if not a little younger. He had an odd way of styling his hair, but his bright pink eyes and small smile made him seem a kind child.

"Are you one of Ryoga-kun's friends?" Cecilla inquired, struggling with the Japanese suffix due to her French accent. To her delight (Ryoga said he had no friends), the boy nodded his head and smiled a little wider.

"Yes. May I see him?"

The blonde woman tucked a piece of hair behind her ear worriedly. She didn't want to get Ryoga in even more trouble than he already was by bringing this boy upstairs. She sighed and motioned for him to come in, to which he quickly complied and allowed her to shut the door behind him.

"I need to tell you something." Cecilla announced, smiling sadly. She gestured towards a comfy red velvet couch, which Yuma quickly sat in and grinned at the soft feeling. Ryoga sure had it nice.

"Ryoga's being abused."

Yuma's eyes shot open in surprise and he looked at the French maid questioningly, but there was no sign of glee or sarcasm on her face. If anything, she looked sad and upset at the idea of the purple haired boy being hurt. Cecilla took a deep breath as if stealing herself, then continued.

"Several years ago, Ryoga's grandmother passed away. The reason is because she was taking a then 10-year-old Ryoga to the store to get him a treat for being so good." Cecilla paused and wiped a tear from her eye before continuing the story. "The store was robbed that day, and the crooks recognized Ryoga. They wanted to kill him in order to get revenge on his father for ruining one of his previous crimes."

Yuma listened to the French woman's solemn voice. Rio had told him that it was because his father was displeased with Ryoga's grades and a couple other trivial things. But no one had ever told him this story. Perhaps Mrs Kamishiro had told Rio that story, and she'd simply passed on what she knew. Maybe this was Ryoga's true past.

"Ryoga-kun's grandmother took the bullet that was meant for him." Cecilla finished quietly, her head bowed as tears dropped onto her black and white skirts. Yuma felt tears pricking at his own eyes, imaging how tragic it would be if the same fate happened to his grandmother.

"That woman mattered so much to Yokiro-sama..." The French woman smiled sadly for a moment, then frowned in distaste. "...he blamed Ryoga-kun's for her death. I'm sure you can guess the rest..."

Yuma nodded and offered the woman a sympathetic smile, but Cecilla didn't seem to notice. Her green eyes widened in fear and she stood up, bowing to the boy before her briefly before running away. Confused, Yuma looked up the steps and his eyes widened.

Was _this _Ryoga's father?

* * *

**Shit is gonna go down in the next chapter, which, I'm sure a lot of you are looking forward to. By the way, I know Ryoga's father just magically gained the name 'Yokiro', but I'm too lazy to think of a legit name. It doesn't sound that bad...Okay, maybe it does. But still!  
**

**Also, once again, I give my favorite bishies a sad back story. Sorry, sugah. *looks at Shark apologetically***

**Cecilla is based on me because I'm French myself, though I don't look like her. I have brown eyes and black hair. Lame, I know. **

**(1) When I typed this, I kept thinking of the All About That Bass parody called 'I Just Need Some Space'. I burst out laughing and didn't stop for many, many, many, many minutes. My mom thought I was gonna die. *coughs awkwardly***

**Review please! Flames will be used to roast weenies and marshmellows, then put out with a can of the disgusting piss tasting- I mean, a can of V8.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Daaaannngggg! You all actually freaking like this story! I can't believe it! I knew a lot of people would like the idea of Shark getting abused, but I didn't know it was this bad! You guys are awesome!**

**Thanks to -**

**Catloverx33 (I'd be worried for Yuma too, but Shark's the one getting all of the bad shit, soooooooo...)  
**

**Angel-of-Anime Mizumi (thanks for looking at/reviewing my friend Misstress Melody's story! Also, glad you like my story. Yup, Shark's dad sucks. It's official)  
**

**Empress Margaret (You have the best reviews ever. :3 You remind me of Rarity from My Little Pony, actually. Awesomeness~)  
**

**ClairTheGaurdian (Dang, gurl! You everywhere! You favorited my Prideshipping story too! You the bomb!)  
**

**alphathewolf5377**

**for reviewing and favoriting my story! I appreciate all of you guys! It means so much to me! No, I'm not kidding. It really, really does. It warms my heart to know that people enjoy my writing, especially since this story didn't get off to a good start with all of the hate at the beginning. Thanks for making me want to continue this.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Yuma noted the menacing look on his face and immediately stood up from his previous sitting position.

"I'll be going now, sir! Nice meeting you!" Yuma said quickly, already bolting towards the door. A large hand gripped his shoulder.

"But we haven't even been introduced yet." The man whispered in the boy's ear hauntingly, grinning when he felt Yuma shake. "Perhaps we should have a proper introduction before running off, don't you think? Besides, I know you want to see my son."

At the mention of Ryoga, Yuma perked up and payed a little more attention. Yokiro smiled (though it held no mirth) and gestured for Yuma to walk up the stairs in front of him. Gripping the side of the grand stair case, Yuma began climbing it, trying to ignore the heavy breathing behind him. It was rather unnerving.

When they reached the top, Yokiro pointed towards a pale blue door that had the letter 'S' painted on it in sloppily, probably done by a very young Ryoga. Yuma grimaced when Yokiro announced he was going to tear the door down soon and did his best to focus on the fact that he was going to speak with Ryoga.

"Company." Yokiro said as he swung the door to his son's room open, stepping inside without hesitation. Yuma followed hesitantly, wondering why Ryoga looked so upset.

"Yuma."

To the boy's utter surprise, Shark sounded somewhat pleased to see him, a ghost of a smile painted on his pale features. He looked somewhat pained, judging by the way his face was twisted into a grimace, but aside from that, he looked to be fine.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Yokiro said 'politely', though it was more of a commandment than an offer. Yuma shrugged and slowly sat down in the chair on the other side of Ryoga's bed.

He saw the purple haired boy's eyes widening and turned his head curiously, wondering what was causing Ryoga to look so surprised. It was his father, standing over him with rope in his hands. Yuma squeaked and immediately tried to pull away, but Yokiro had an iron grip on his shoulder and wouldn't let go.

The man tied Yuma to the chair, cuffing him occasionally if he began struggling. By the time he was finished, Yuma had a large bruise on the side of his cheek and tears were stinging his pink eyes.

"What are you doing?!" Ryoga screamed, rushing to Yuma's side in an attempt to free the slightly younger boy. But his father gripped his hand and shoved him back onto his bed ruthlessly, chuckling when his son's head hit the headboard.

"He gets to watch you be punished, Ryoga." Yokiro grinned sadistically, sitting next to his son on the bed. "Isn't that nice?"

Yuma's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to scream in protest, but quickly stopped himself when Yokiro sent him a look. It obviously meant that, if he screamed, Ryoga would only get hurt more. And so the pink eyed boy remained silent reluctantly, eying his violet haired friend with worry.

"Oh, and Ryoga?"

The purple haired boy glared at his father, but said nothing. Yokiro shrugged and continued, "I invited a good friend of yours over to...have at you first. I think you'll enjoy it!"

"Y-You don't mean..." Ryoga's cerulean eyes widened. He didn't mean his ex boyfriend, did he? He thought his father was homophobic! "...Hiyoto?!"

"Don't get me wrong." Yokiro's eyes narrowed and he jabbed a finger into his son's stomach. "I hate homosexuals. But, I want you to feel as much disgust as I do. So, I invited your little ex boyfriend over to toy with you. I know you hate him, so what better way to torture you?"

Yuma's eyes widened and he looked at Ryoga's face, trying to keep his mouth shut. The purple haired boy looked so...weak. He looked tired, as if he wanted nothing more than to give up and submit.

"Don't give up, Ryoga!" Yuma exclaimed, ignoring the glare he got from Yokiro. He could care less about the man at the moment. "You can do it! I know you can! You're strong!"

Ryoga rolled his head over and eyed Yuma for a second before speaking, "You put too much trust in me, Yuma." He said quietly, his voice not at all like it usually was.

"Indeed he does."

A new voice spoke with slight disgust. Turning his head in curiosity, Yuma's eyes widened. Was this Hiyoto? Ryoga's ex boyfriend? Yuma noted he gave off a rather menacing and dark aura, just as Yokiro did. His face was twisted with malice and demented glee.

"Allow me." Hiyoto said with mock politeness, grinning when Yokiro removed himself from both the bed and the room. He crawled onto the bed and straddled a withering Ryoga. "How've you been, sweet heart?"

"Don't fucking call me that." Ryoga growled under his breath, his defiant nature slowly returning. He seemed a little more resistant around this 'Hiyoto', though Yuma was too upset to wonder why. "We're over, you douche bag."

"Even if we're over, it doesn't mean I'm over you." Hiyoto replied, licking his lips. "Besides. I haven't had a sexual encounter in quite awhile. This should be fun..."

"No! Please, don't!" Yuma protested quickly, pulling at the ropes even harder. Hiyoto ignored him for the most part, though he did send the two tone haired boy a devilish smirk, hinting he planned to do all he could to break Ryoga.

"Your dad gave me some toys to use before I have my real fun with you." Hiyoto announced, removing a whip from the box Yokiro had brought in earlier. He grinned sadistically. "Doesn't it look fun?"

"Sadistic bastard..." Ryoga muttered defiantly, refusing to make eye contact with his ex.

"That I am, that I am." Hiyoto laughed as he toyed with Ryoga's exposed chest. He noticed the younger boy was doing his best not to squirm uncomfortably and grinned. "You like this?"

Ryoga responded with nothing but an icy cold glare. Hiyoto shrugged and stopped stroking the skin. He then raised the whip into the air and brought it down violently, grinning when Ryoga cried out at the sudden pain. Before the purple haired boy could recover, he blindfolded him with a piece of white cloth, also in the box.

**-WARNING! BEYOND THIS POINT IS TORTURE, THOUGH NOT VERY GRAPHIC, MIGHT BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME PEOPLE. IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE A SLIGHT DESCRIPTION OF INJURIES, I SUGGEST NOT READING THIS PART.-**

"Stop it!" Yuma screeched as Hiyoto brought down the weapon again and again, laughing manically every time Ryoga let out a heart wrenching scream of pain. It didn't help the whip had little thorns on the end that dug into your skin ruthlessly.

By the time Hiyoto stopped, the previously white blankets beneath Ryoga were stained with red, and the purple haired boy found himself panting, nearly shocked by what had just happened. He was in a daze, and Hiyoto planned to take advantage of it.

"Let's see how this does on your oh-so soft skin..." Hiyoto purred in Ryoga's ear, purposely pressing against his fresh cuts. Ryoga winced and gritted his teeth, willing himself not to cry out at such a small act.

Hiyoto grabbed a small dagger and ran it over Ryoga's arm gleefully. The blood trickled down the pale skin, marring it, though Hiyoto thought his ex boyfriend looked beautiful covered in crimson. He always had.

"You certainly did a number on him, didn't you?" Yokiro remarked nonchalantly as he stepped into the room, eying his panting son on the bed. "Well, I think it's time for you to go. You can come back tomorrow, however."

Hiyoto grinned widely and removed himself from the bed. "Thanks. I look forward to it!"

And with that, he was out the door, along with Yokiro, who sent Yuma a slightly triumphant look. Yuma glared back and scooted towards the bed, bringing the dagger in between his teeth. He dropped it on his lap (thankfully, his hands had been tied in the front) and grabbed it with his fingers, sawing at the rope that bound them.

Once he was free, he dropped the knife and ran towards Ryoga, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. The purple haired boy wasn't unconscious, though he did look pale and sickly. Just then, the front door slammed shut from downstairs and a loud 'I'm home' echoed through the house, followed by the sound of girls giggling.

Yuma recognized those voices.

"RIO-KUN! HAKU-KUN! HELP!"

* * *

**Isn't Hiyoto a dick? Yes, he certainly is. Sorry, you can't murder him yet. But when the story ends, feel free to do whatever you want with him. Give em a taste of his own medicine, so to speak. Also, Yokiro as a dick too, so same goes for him.  
**

**Please review! This story has nearly 700 views, yet I only have 11 reviews. ;-; I'd really appreciate if you guys sent me some motivating reviews and stuff. Keep in mind I'm only 12 years old and my native language is French, not English, so please don't point out grammar mistakes and spelling and stuff. It's been done on my other stories and it's driving me insane. Thank you!**


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